Gozo Museums

The Gozo Folklore Museum at the Citadel, Rabat Gozo

Dubbed as one of the most charming Gozo museums, the Gozo Folklore Museum is hidden away in one of the Citadel’s charming and quiet narrow streets in Rabat Gozo.

If you’d like to be transported back to another time and experience Gozo’s simple and relaxed way of life, then this is the Gozo museum to go to.

For some, the building which houses the museum is even more interesting than the museum itself. The building dates back to around 1500 and is a medieval Siculo-Norman house full of nooks and crannies.

The museum is actually located in a cluster of these medieval houses which are today interconnected. In the old days, these houses belonged to rich families. They are the only ones of their type which remain in Gozo. Similar houses can be found in Mdina and Vittoriosa.

The Folklore Museum was opened in 1983 and its many exhibits provide a good peak at how life was on Gozo island in the old days.

A large number of the museum’s exhibits relate to rural trades and skills, such as agriculture and carpentry.

Here, you will see a vast amount of old agricultural tools such as spades, winnowing forks, ploughs, grinding mills of various sizes, etc.

In this charming museum, you can also see old tools which were used by carpenters and blacksmiths. Some of the displays relate to wine-making.

An interesting section of the museum focuses on exhibits which relate to domestic crafts such as lace-making, weaving and book-binding. Gozo is indeed famous for its exquisite lace!

On the first floor, you will get the chance to see displays which mainly relate to traditional pastimes. So on this floor, you can see old bird-trapping and hunting equipment and also tiny church models.

These miniature church models require a lot of skill and patience to make and have been and still are a popular pastime both in Gozo and Malta.

At the Gozo Folklore Museum there is also a beautiful collection of traditional costumes, clay statuettes and some old furniture items.

If you’d like to learn more about the Gozitan people’s rural and domestic traditional lifestyles, then this is one of the main Gozo attractions that you wouldn’t want to miss!

Getting there

Visit www.publictransport.com.mt for details on bus routes that will get you the nearest to this attraction, depending on the location that you're leaving from. When you arrive in Victoria, walk towards the Citadel and take the street next to the Old Prisons.

If you’re going to Victoria by car, drive towards Victoria and park in one of the car parks. Walk to the Citadel.

Make sure you have a Parking Clock Dial when you park your car in time-restricted parking zones. You get a clock dial free of charge, from the Gozo Ferry or from the local council in Independence Square, Victoria, Gozo.